These
are Bertie Learmonth's grandparents. Bertie married
Violet Inkster.
George Learmonth of Westness, who hailed from East Lothian, took a lease
of the farm of Elseness in Sanday and put his son William in it.

William fought at the Battle of Trafalgar and was awarded the Navy Medal
with Trafalgar bar in 1848. Lived latterly in North or South Shields. For
many years, William's medal was in New Zealand where presumably it was
taken by one of the children of William's nephew, John . In recent
times it was returned to George Mainland who had the tattered ribbon
replaced. It is now in the possession of John Mainland , the
gg grand-nephew of the man to whom it was awarded.

Jane Mainland went to New Zealand
to act as housekeeper to her two elder brothers who had emigrated some
years earlier. She had a letter of introduction to the
Craigies
who also hailed from Rousay. Richard was born in NZ but both his parents
were born in Rousay.

George Reid, the father of this family, was born in Westray and came to Rousay as a servant at
Westness. Recently a great grandson of his daughter Elizabeth showed me a photo of
George taken by someone 'from the Sooth' who came to Rousay to interview
him when he reached his 100th birthday. At the same time, some doggerel
verses were written about him, presumably by the same person. (RCM)